Putin May Accept Ukraine Election but Shows Contempt for Our Commander-In-Chief, By Jiri and Leni Valenta, 5/24/14

Presently, many of the people in the Eastern half of the country readily accept the Russian line that the Western Ukraine is dominated by an illegal junta which took power through an illegal coup, and that the interim government in Kiev is inhabited by Nazi fascists.  The truth is that the people, not a junta,  rose up against the corruption of  President Yanukovich  and his thuggish treatment of any opposition. They support democracy, not fascism. Nevertheless, the election will hopefully put to rest the question of the government´s legitimacy, and Putin may think he can work with Poroshenko, a deal-maker like himself.   

Putin may also be concerned about the U.S. global strategy of a new containment by the U.S. Department of Defense.  He must have carefully followed the recent, well-structured speech of U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Hagel is right; our armed forces and their capabilities, particularly our air force and navy in comparison to Russia´s, and even despite military cuts, are still very powerful. 

Yet  Putin´s recent comments betray the weakest point of U.S. strategy; his contempt for our commander-in-chief.  Clearly Putin does not take President Obama seriously enough. Like Nikita Khruschev who took Kennedy´s measure at the Vienna summit and underestimated him, Putin  views Obama as a paper tiger.  A man fixated on strength both physical and political, and himself possessed of considerable executive experience, he rudely suggested that Obama, (a former community organizer and law professor), "should get a job at a court." 

Projecting weakness, and not standing up to a Russian leader  is a dangerous course.   Obama must arm the Ukrainians, offer compromise solutions based on strength, and instead of setting red lines,  demonstrate his determination to contain Russia´s interventionism. Arming the Ukrainians as we proposed in the Kyiv Post, would have been an important watershed, but unfortunately Obama has not pursued it. IT BEHOOVES OUR PRESIDENT TO DEMONSTRATE, AS KENNEDY DID WITH KHRUSHCHEV DURING THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, THAT HE IS THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD, HE WILL STAND UP TO PUTIN, AND THAT AMERICA'S MILITARY OPTIONS REMAIN ON THE TABLE.

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